Karnataka govt directs Ola, Uber to stop ridesharing services: End to ‘share’, ‘pool’?
The transport department if Karnataka has directed Ola and Uber to stop their ridesharing services a second time. Ola and Uber were given a three-day deadline in 2017 by the transport department to stop their ridesharing services.
FollowBengaluru: Cab sharing facility provided by aggregators like Ola and Uber is being used by thousands of commuters for their daily commute to work. Karnataka transport department on Friday directed the two cab operators to stop ridesharing services.
The decision to end this facility was taken after a meeting between transport officials, representatives of the cab aggregators and drivers working with them.
The drivers said during the meeting that ‘share’ and ‘pool’ fetch them very low fares. The cab aggregators have now been asked to comply with the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016. The rules disallow ridesharing or carpooling services.
Transport commissioner, VP Ikkeri, called ridesharing services illegal. He also warned the cab aggregators of action in case they refuse to fall in line with the rules, reports said.
Ola and Uber were given a three-day deadline in 2017 by the transport department to stop the ridesharing services. But fearing backlash from commuters and mobility experts, the order was withdrawn immediately.
Official communication is yet to be made to the cab aggregators. According to TOI reports, no immediate action is expected from Ola and Uber’s end. As of today, there has been no change in the ‘share’ and ‘pool’ services offered by Ola and Uber respectively.
Both ‘share’ and ‘pool’ services worked by matching users travelling in the same route which helped the cab aggregators optimise fares for them. Previous reports released on the cab sharing service offered by Ola had said that the biggest advantage of it was the ease of booking during peak hours.
